Out of Bounds is a novella, which admittedly isn’t my favorite type of book. However, it’s a sports romance and it’s written by Lauren Blakely, so reading this was a no brainer. The book is signature Lauren Blakely—fun, flirty, and sexy.
Just when I think Kate Stewart can’t do any better, she manages to prove me wrong. I was a massive fan of her previous book, Anything But Minor, so this one had fairly large shoes to fill. Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit if I didn’t enjoy Major Love just as much, if not more.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips has a unique way of combining romance with laugh out loud humor and then mixing in unusual characters to create an engaging rom-com story. Heaven, Texas has her distinctive funny, sexy style written all over it. This is the second book in the Chicago Stars series but can be read as a standalone. While I didn’t like this book as much as It Had to Be You, I still found it to be quite enjoyable.
When it comes to college sports romances, you don’t get much better than Elle Kennedy’s Off-Campus series. I’ve enjoyed all three previous books, and The Goal is a winning addition to the series. This is Tucker and Sabrina’s story.
R.S. Grey certainly knows how to feed my sports romance addiction—not to mention my Summer Olympics obsession. In Out of Bounds she takes the sport of competitive gymnastics, adds in a fabulous enemies to lovers scenario, tons of heat, and a touch of forbidden romance, and—voilà—you’ve got a winning combination.
In an era when insta-love tends to be the norm rather than the exception, I really appreciate romances that deliver a slow burn. Kulti—which I adored— has that in spades, and now with The Wall of Winnipeg and Me I think it’s safe to say that Mariana Zapata is the queen of slow burn.
In my mind, humor and angst go hand in hand with Jewel E. Ann’s books. One is a bit of a departure for her. It’s a sports romance that has all the wit, but none of the gut wrenching, anxiety producing conflicts I’ve come to expect. This book proves that Jewel can write lighthearted romantic comedy very well while maintaining an extremely touching quality.
This book! I’m still floored. Truth: I’ve wanted to read Kulti for quite some time, but I was put off by the long length. I finally caved when I discovered I could borrow the audio book from the library—16 hours worth of narration. I’m not gonna lie. Kulti has a detailed storyline that unfolds at an extremely leisurely pace. However, it’s totally absorbing. My only regret is waiting so long to read this!
For someone who likes sports romances, oddly enough I’m not a sports enthusiast—except when it comes to the Summer Olympics. I’m a huge fan and find myself glued to the TV for three weeks every four years. R.S. Grey is a new-to-me author, but when I heard she was writing a Rom-Com that takes place during the Summer Olympic Games I was sold.
Hawke combines two of my favorite tropes: sports romance and second chance romance. It definitely hits the right notes in regards to the sports angle, even though it’s not a romantic comedy – which I tend to gravitate towards.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my friends friends for clogging my Goodreads feed with updates of binge reading books by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Because of them I just may have found a new favorite author. I definitely discovered a delightful sports romance to add to my favorites bookshelf.
The Baller has everything I look for in a sports romantic comedy: a ballsy heroine, a cocky athlete, banter up the wazoo, real integration of the sport, and a mature relationship. Placing a checkmark in all those columns makes it seem formulaic; however, the characters really help elevate this story.